An Alberta Anglican priest who was first charged in connection with alleged historic sexual assaults in February is now facing more charges.
Gordon William Dominey, 63, is now facing a total of 18 sexual assault charges and nine gross indecency charges.
READ MORE: Alberta priest charged in connection with alleged historic sexual assaults
On Feb. 6, the Edmonton Police Service announced it was laying five charges of sexual assault and five charges of gross indecency against Dominey. The charges stem from five alleged incidents at the Edmonton Youth Development Centre in the 1980s. The complainants were all youth at the incarceration facility at the time of the alleged incidents.
Staff Sgt. Devin Laforce said two complainants came forward to police in September 2015 with the allegations. He said police found three additional complainants during the course of their investigation.
The complainants were between the ages of 14 and 17 at the time of the alleged incidents.
“There’s a lot of complexities with sexual assault. It’s generally known it’s an under-reported crime to police. It took a period of time until they were ready in a time in their life to come forward to police,” he said in February.
Police said, since that time, four more male complainants came forward to report allegations of sexual assault. Those alleged assaults also took place at the Edmonton Youth Development Centre during the 1980s.
On Tuesday, Edmonton police said 13 additional charges of sexual assault and four more charges of gross indecency had been laid against Dominey.
“It’s extraordinarily sad,” Jane Alexander, the bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Edmonton, said.
“We take it incredibly seriously. The Anglican Church of Canada has a zero tolerance policy towards sexual misconduct of any kind.
“I can say that, in this instance, we have absolutely no allegations of any kind in his records during his time here in Edmonton.
“We are of course cooperating fully with the police and will continue to do so,” Alexander said. “The case is before the courts so we have to let justice take its course.”
Dominey was a priest with the Diocese of Edmonton, then employed to work in the Young Offenders Centre, before taking a job with the Diocese of New Westminster. Alexander said Dominey left Edmonton about 25 years ago.
George Cadman, the Chancellor and Chief Legal Officer for the Diocese of New Westminster, told Global News that Dominey became licensed as a priest in the diocese in July 1990. He served as the interim minister at St. Catherine’s Church in North Vancouver before being put on administrative leave when the first round of charges was announced.
Dominey provided a criminal record check to the diocese last year.
“We’ve had at no time any suggestion of any issue with Gordon,” Cadman said Feb. 6. “Certainly there’s nothing of that sort that has occurred in this diocese. To the contrary, he’s got a very good reputation in this diocese as a pastor and leader.”
The accused was arrested without incident in Coquitlam, B.C. on Feb. 4.
He is scheduled to appear in court next on March 10.
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